Crimson and Furs

Mr. Anonymous

Pa! Pa! Pa!

The criminal shot frantically as he ran through the sewer, his feet splashing in the putrid sewage flowing slowly. He didn't care for the cobwebs which stuck to his face or the disgusting sticky liquid which drenched his clothes. All that filled his mind was escaping—escaping from this monster that had attacked his companions out of nowhere.

Don was a mercenary who had committed hideous crimes throughout his life. He had accepted missions to kill innocent people and had ended the lives of several people across Moon City. He was a very greedy person and always yearned for money and because of this he soiled his hands with the blood of so many innocent people, sending several lives down to the grave.

Today he and his gang of five other mercenaries had accepted another mission. They had been asked by their employer to kidnap one hundred tramps from across the city for the sum of $2000. They had been very delighted by the generous offer and had immediately settled out for the dirty job without asking the employer what he needed the tramps for. Of course they didn't work at day to prevent the cops from catching them and chose the work by night. It was at this hour at the sewers when they met the monster. At first they had seen an ordinary gorgeous 16-year old boy standing within the shadows, staring at them with hypnotizing red eyes. He had such a calm demeanor which shocked everyone. They had tried to kidnap him but failed as he ended up transforming into a monster—a monster with two long fangs growing from the upper mouth!

Don panted as he ran, recalling the appearance of the monster. It had red glowing eyes, two long fangs and an aura which exuded superiority. What shocked him most was that the monster didn't make his companions feel afraid within the first five seconds. Everyone had been hypnotized to it and before they knew it, the monster had turned up on them. If he hadn't been more experienced and skilled, he would have been swept up in the attack by the monster.

"Ah!

"Help me!"

"God!

"Fuck, Christ!"

Several screams resonated within the sewer, causing Don to tremble as he ran. He heard crashing and breaking sounds coming from the distance, the cries vanishing instantly. He didn't need anyone to tell him that his companions were gone—all of them. He had to escape quick before the monster got to him.

If I escape this I won't ever go into such a business like this again, he swore as he ran through the dark sewer. I will never kill the innocent or even harm them. I'll be a law-abiding citizen and avoid crimes.

Whoosh!

He was still running when he felt a cold wind blow around him, causing his red jacket to flutter. It was as if something had moved past him at a supernatural speed. Some seconds after the phenomenon he slowed down before stopping in his tracks, his pupils dilating in fear. Standing before him was the monster, its mouth dripping with a crimson liquid which he knew to be the blood of his companions. The monster had actually sucked their bloods after killing them!

A...a...vampire, he thought as his heart began beating faster than it was before, almost tearing through his chest.

Orpheus licked the blood on his lips before smiling warmly, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. Don was petrified and broke down immediately, his index finger pulling the trigger out of fear. But then, no bullet came out. He had expended all his bullets while trying to escape and unfortunately, none of the bullets fired had hit the monster standing before him.

"Please...have mercy upon me," Don begged as the revolver fell from his right hand. "I...I swear I'll become a changed person!"

Orpheus sized up the man for some time before saying, "The innocent people you killed wouldn't want you to be a changed person."

Don wanted to immediately turn around and run but then he felt a cold wind brush over his face, causing his black hair to flutter. Before he knew it he felt something sink into his neck, an usual coldness spreading there. Immediately he felt himself become dizzy as he fell into the sewage with a splash.

But I wanted to change, this was his only thought as he stopped breathing. He had a look of horror on his face.

Orpheus stared at the dead man who was lying in the sewage, his face maintaining its usual calm expression. It wasn't as if he was the one that just killed five people. It was as if killing people was only a casual thing. Maybe it was because he felt he was doing the right thing, bringing justice to the deceased who had been robbed of their lives. This was what a true hero was.

I've hunted criminals tonight, Orpheus thought as he began walking out of the sewer. Tomorrow night I'll continue what I'm doing. The cops should be very much relieved right now after seeing the dead bodies of the criminals they had been looking for. It would definitely give me a good image. Although they won't know that the person killing the criminals is Lord Orpheus Rodolfo, they will definitely have an inkling that it's a Vampire or so. Well, when the time comes I should prepare to see them giving me weird nicknames like Moon Boy.

"Lame," Orpheus couldn't help but say after considering the name. He didn't want such a nickname as lame as Moon Boy. That would hurt his reputation among other Crimsones. It wasn't something a Crimsone child like him should be proud of.

He was still walking when his ears picked up the sound of sirens from 100 metres away. Cops. From his accurate hearing ability he could deduce that the cops were coming in the direction of the sewer. Without hesitation he immediately turned and ran in another direction, escaping from the approaching cops. Even though he knew most of the cops were ordinary humans he couldn't afford to be careless. He believed there were other Cursed hidden as normal humans who were very hostile to Crimsones. If he was caught up with them, he wasn't sure he could survive even though he had magical items made by his father.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

His feet echoed through the sewer as he ran, rushing past several tramps who were occasionally perched in some parts of the sewer. Hearing the sounds of feet tapping the ground they would turn their heads to look in that direction but they didn't see anyone. All they could feel was a gust of wind and then silence. Orpheus was too fast to be noticed by ordinary humans when he was running.

In no time Orpheus came out of the sewer, appearing at another part of the street. He looked around several times, his eyes scanning for any lurking danger. Thankfully there was none. He immediately made his way further from the sewer, escaping in another direction. He was still running when his nose picked up a dangerous scent 10 meters away. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as he couldn't help but shudder in fear. How was he not able to sense the danger till it came 10 meters close to him?!

Whoosh!

He sensed something move past him, going before him. His red eyes let out a faint glow as he immediately stopped in his tracks, leaping in another direction to avoid colliding with the attacker. He didn't stop when he landed as he continued running. With just one glance he had seen the appearance of the attacker even though the latter was moving at at supernatural speed which seemed to exceed his own. He had a black hair and a pair of brown eyes which glowed in the darkness. He was donned in a black shirt with a black leather vest over it. He wore a pair of black leather pants and combat boots. In his left hand was a black leather hat while his right hand held a silvery revolver which glittered under the streetlights, casting a reflection on its surface. A domineering aura was exuded from the person who was very young, looking like an 18-year old kid.

Orpheus felt a sense of foreboding as he continued running even though he knew the attacker was still chasing him. This was a Crimsone Hunter, their natural enemy and it was not just any random Crimsone Hunter. The person chasing him was a Lycanthrope! He could tell from the aura.

Bang!

Orpheus heard a gunshot and relied on his senses to leap in another direction, evading a bullet which would have sank into his heart. Luckily, the bullet only grazed his right side. He felt an intense pain at his right side as blood dropped from the wound. He was slightly surprised that nothing happened to him. Didn't Crimsone Hunters always go about with silver bullets? It was said that silver was the natural bane of Cursed so he felt even though it was just a graze, he would have been obliterated. Other Crimsones from higher Cursed Paths wouldn't suffer obliteration if they were grazed but since he was still a Vampire, he would have been transformed to dust. Why didn't the Crimsone Hunter attack him with a silver hunter?

At that time he felt something slam into his face with a great force before he was sent crashing to the ground. This was the strength of a Lycanthrope.

The Crimsone Hunter who attacked Orpheus stood over him, staring at him with a calm expression as if he was looking at his prey. His left hand was still gripping the revolver, ready to fire at any time. From the speed and strength displayed by him, it showed that he wasn't at the Werewolf Cursed Path anymore. Werewolves couldn't match with Vampires in terms of speed.

"Why did you kill those people?" the person asked as he placed his revolver back into the holster at his right side. It was as if he was very confident that the person in front of him wouldn't escape. He then crossed his arms over his chest as if he was having a casual chat with his friend.

"They were criminals," Orpheus was very afraid as he racked his brain, thinking of how to escape from this Lycanthrope who was on a higher Cursed Path than him.

The person stared at him for some moments before saying, "I see. So it wasn't just a murderous act by a Vampire."

Orpheus' eyes narrowed at the way the person addressed him but he didn't say anything and swallowed his pride. He then asked, "You're a Crimsone Hunter. Crimsone Hunters kill Crimsones so why are you standing by doing nothing?"

The person chuckled deeply as he wore the hat over his head, pressing it down before adjusting it to fit him perfectly. He then said, "Who says I'm a Crimsone Hunter only?"

Huh? Orpheus didn't know where he was heading with the statement. And why was he smiling as if he was talking to his close friend? This 18-year old person sure had a jovial attitude.

"I work for an organization and was given a mission to take some drops of blood from a Crimsone," the 18-year old boy said as he took out three small bottles containing Orpheus' blood, causing the latter to open his mouth in shock.

All these for some drops of blood? Orpheus didn't know what to think of the person in front of him anymore.

"What?" the boy asked. "You expect me to ask you nicely? Silly you."

Orpheus groaned as he looked at his wound and discovered that it had healed. He then turned to look at the boy and asked, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," the boy replied. "Don't bother asking me my f******k name because I have you as a friend."

"..."

Orpheus nearly fainted but then he didn't as he felt some familiarity between the young boy and him. He had actually met him somewhere on f******k but he had forgotten.

"If we're gonna meet in the future you should stick to calling me Mr. Anonymous," the boy said. "I believe you don't wanna know my name."

Mr. Anonymous then pressed his hat against his head as he walked to a dark part of the street calmly, disappearing out of Orpheus' sight.

Orpheus stared in daze as he heard whooshing, fluttering and scratching sounds coming from the direction Mr. Anonymous had walked in. Then there was silence. For some moments he lay on the ground without moving, wondering if what had transpired was a figment of his imagination or had actually happened.

I seem to know him from somewhere, Orpheus thought as he narrowed his red eyes which had resumed their normal state. Somewhere...